In setting up an enclosure for your chinchilla, you can follow many of the same guidelines as for other mammals with a few exceptions. Your chinchilla has delicate feet so ensure that his enclosure doesn’t have a wire bottom or areas where he can catch his foot and injure it. Provide bedding such as kiln-dried pine shavings or paper-based bedding. Other bedding such as cedar could release dust that could irritate the respiratory system or have splinters. Give your chinchilla a hidey house for when he wants to nap. Put his food in a ceramic bowl that doesn’t tip easily. A water bottle keeps water from spilling or becoming contaminated by soiled bedding. Provide exercise apparatus to keep your pet busy but take care that your selections are safe for his feet. Ramps or PVC pipe tunnels are popular for chinchillas. Contact your vet Marion, IA to learn more.
